Dares
by xxfirebubblesxx
Summary: COMPLETED! What happens when a game of Truth or Dare goes too far? Only the first chapter is about the game! The rest is about Kyo and Yuki being humiliated...YAY! No parings. Rated for the kitty's mouth. :D
1. Games

Disclamer- I do not own Fruits Basket. :P If I did, I wouldn?�t be writing fanfiction about it. However, the plot is mine! MUHAHA! Ok. I'll stop now.

**Chapter 1 **

OMG! Who is she?

Mommy, lookie! That lady is pretty.

No way! She's so cute!

Yuki gritted his teeth while thinking of plans to get revenge on Shigure and Kyo for making him suffer in public. The elegant, shorthaired beauty that was catching the eyes of strangers on the street was none other than Yuki Sohma himself wearing a lavender sundress! As he strolled down the sidewalk, clutching a violet purse, his face burned at the memory of how he got himself into this mess. _At least Kyo is suffering too. _Yuki mused, happy for a small victory.

(Begin Flashback)

"Yuki-kun! Do you want to play Truth or Dare?" asked Tohru happily. "Uo and Hana are playing, along with Momiji and Haru."

"Sure, Honda-san."

After they were all seated around a bottle, Uo began the game. After landing on Momiji, she dared him to stuff ten marshmallows into his mouth, which the sugar-loving rabbit happily complied. And so the game went on, with crazy dares and impractical questions, until Yuki landed on Kyo. "Truth or Dare, stupid cat?"

"Dare, you damn rat!"

"Fine. I dare you to take Kagura on a date for a entire day, obeying her every whim."

There was a loud gasp from Tohru, a squeal from Momiji, and a slight grin from Haru while Uo and Hana wondered who Kagura was. Kyo blanched, then mumbled "Fine." Maybe it was fate playing an ironic trick on them, but when Kyo spun, he landed on Yuki. The rat paled as Kyo grinned wickedly at him. "Truth or Dare, damn rat?"

"Dare, stupid cat."

"I dare you to dress up like a girl and parade the streets for a whole day! (A/N: Muhahaha! XD) And you have to go the whole nine yards, too! Make-up, short dress, jewelry, everything" Kyo crowed. Revenge was sweet. Yuki's already pale skin turned a deathly white, but he couldn't back out now. "All right." Haru stood up. ''It's time to go home, Momiji. This game has gone a bit too far. But Yuki does look good in a dress." Haru stated blandly, ignoring Yuki's death glare. "Tohru? Make sure he wears a short one." At this point, Uo and Kyo were rolling around having a laughing fit while the edge of Hana's lips quirked up slightly. "E-EH? Hatsuharu-san, are you sure?"

"Yup. Bye." Haru said, pulling Momiji away. "Bye-bye To-ru! See you tomorrow!"

"Bye Momiji-kun, Hatsuharu-san!

(End Flashback)

Of course, after Shigure had heard about it, he forced Tohru to make Yuki get into this ridiculously short dress, slather on lipstick, and wear jewelry for heavens sake! Thankfully, Tohru had drawn the line somewhere, saying Yuki didn't need make-up since his skin was practically perfect, he did not need hair extensions, and his high heels couldn't be more than two inches high, or else he would fall. Looking up, Yuki stifled a groan as he spotted a college student strolling cockily up to him. _That's the third one already. _"Hey, babe. Wanna go have fun somewhere?" Yuki gave him his best icy stare, which made the older guy's smile falter, then said very clearly and slowly, as if talking to an idiot (which he probably is) "No." He turned to leave when the guy grabbed his wrist. "Aw, come on. You know you want to." Yuki whipped around and slammed the poor guy into the ground. "What part of no do you not understand?" he seethed. Brushing his skirt off, he said calmly, "Good day to you." Whimpering, the guy ran away. Yuki sighed, then continued down the next street.

A/N: Hahaha! Poor Yuki-kun! Next chapter is Kyo?�s part of the dare, BUT you guys have to review.

Ja ne!

xxfirebubblesxx


	2. Memories or Blackmail Material?

This chapter is dedicated to Amaya-Mizuki for being my VERY first reviewer ever!

Disclamer-I don't own Fruits Basket, ok? XP

**Chapter 2 **

Kyo groaned as he regained consciousness. "Kyo, MY LOVE? Are you all right? I'm so sorry for hurting you, but I was incredibly overjoyed when you asked me on a date!" Kagura smiled shyly. It scared Kyo how this quiet, timid girl could turn into a raving madwoman, intent on destroying him then smothering him in love in the blink of an eye. "Where do you want to go?" Kyo mumbled. "I've got our entire day planned out. First, we're going to the new amusement park, and then we eat lunch at this cute Italian bistro. Afterwards, we catch this new movie, then we take a romantic stroll on the beach. Lastly, we'll have dinner by candlelight, staring dreamily into each others eyes!" Kagura squealed happily, pulling out a detailed map with their route and times carefully plotted out. "Lookie lookie! I planned this all out so we could have maximum fun! Let's go!" she giggled, pulling him towards the bus station. "We don't want to miss our bus! That will put us off schedule."

"Uh...ok."It had startled Kyo how much time and effort she had put into planning their date. _Am I really worth it? _Right at that moment, he vowed to try to have as much fun as possible. Hopefully, she wouldn't kill him before the day was over.

"Ayame-san, is this alright?" Tohru whispered, tugging on the beige trench coat and hat the snake had made her put on.

"Of COURSE it's alright, Tohru-chan! We're just tagging along with Yuki to make sure he doesn't kill anybody. And what better way is there than to do it in STYLE?" Ayame proclaimed grandly, a non-existent wind making his silvery white locks dance freely. He was wearing a trench coat and hat like Tohru's, but his was a deep purple, attracting more attention than being inconspicuous.

"Then why do you need a camera?" Tohru asked innocently.

"Ah, my sweet Tohru. We're making memories for my little brother! Years from now he will look at these pictures while remember the good times, and thank us. _If he doesn't kill me first... "_Gure is with Kagura and Kyo, so they will have pictures too."

"All right, then! We're going to help Yuki-kun make memories" Tohru said determinedly.

"That's the spirit! Do you want to bet?"

"Eh?"

"Who will win: Yuki or Kyo? There is another category too. It's: Both-of-them-are-way too-stubborn-to-back-out-so-it-will-be-a-tie category. All the Jyuunishi are betting. So far, Yuki has one more vote than Kyo. After all, he did wear a dress before, so it shouldn't be too hard."

"Yuki-kun did wear a dress before, but nothing this extreme." Tohru sighed worriedly as another man tried to hit on Yuki and got slammed to the floor. "Oh, I hope he'll be safe from molesters."

"Don't worry! Yuki can take care of himself. I'm more worried if the people are suffering any brain damage." Ayame grinned while snapping another picture. "Say CHEESE, ototo!"

A/N: Ok. I lied. This chapter wasn't entirely about Kyo, but I did mention him! That's good enough, right? BTW- Anybody catch the pun at the end? (say cheese!) since Yuki's the rat and all that stuff? Really lame, I know, but how else can you end this chappie? Sorry if some characters are a little OOC. On the other hand, I really should name these chapters. Any ideas? Please R&R!

Japanese Meanings:

ototo-younger brother

Jyuunishi-Chinese Zodiac

Ja ne!

xxfirebubblesxx


	3. Sodas and Strangers

Disclamer- I do not own Fruits Basket. Satisfied? XP

**Chapter 3 **

Kyo hated this bet. He hoped Yuki was suffering as much as he was. As soon as they had reached the new amusement park, Kagura wanted to ride the biggest, fastest, most stomach-churning roller coaster first. Kyo had to agree, and now they were plunging and twisting and turning upside down. "AAAHHHH!" the group of thrillseekers screamed. The wind was roaring in their ears, accompanied by their shrieking. Afterwards, both of them staggered out, Kagura taking small steps to try to stop the world from tilting (she's dizzy, people!) and Kyo was looking a little green. They collapsed on a bench, taking deep breaths. After 10 minutes, they were feeling a little better. Kyo noticed a small flash, but just thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. Little did he know a certain dog was hiding behind the bushes, holding a camera and snickering loudly; consequently, earning some strange stares from people.

"Kyo, my love! I'm going to get drinks. What do you want?" Kyo groaned. He didn't think his stomach could handle anything right now. "Just go get something for yourself. I don't want anything." Kagura happily complied, skipping over to the nearest vendor to purchase soda. Kyo felt a fresh wave of nausea when he saw Kagura ordering the biggest cup size there was with two straws. Plopping herself next to him again, she inserted the straws into the cup, then slowly sipped it, while also intent on making Kyo share it with her. He was saved from having to drink any of the disgusting fizzy liquid when Kagura spotted a bright pink sign. In cursive lettering, it proclaimed "Tunnel of Love" with little hearts surrounding it. "Ooh! Darling, let's ride that one next!" she squealed delightedly. He sighed, but agreed reluctantly. After disposing the cup, Kagura pulled Kyo to the end of the line with all the other couples. A few minutes later, it was their turn. A pink boat pulled up to the dock and the boar excitedly pulled the struggling cat into it. "Dammit, Kagura! There's water on this ride!" Kyo hissed, wriggling out of her grip. "Oh no! I'm so sorry darling!" Kagura sounded genuinely distressed. Kyo grumbled a bit, then muttered, "Forget about it. Let's just get this over with.

* * *

Yuki hated this bet. He hoped Kyo was suffering as much as he was. _I should have made him wear a tuxedo, too._ Yuki lamented. Suddenly, a female voice was calling, "Hey! Wait up!" He turned around and caught a glimpse of a girl running towards him. Thankfully, quick reflexes enabled him to sidestep her before she hit him. The girl skidded to a halt in front of a bewildered Yuki, breathing hard. Suddenly, she jumped up and grinned cheerily. "Hello! My name is Emi Matsushita. Nice to meet you!" 

Yuki blinked, wondering why she stopped him, but he introduced himself anyway. "The pleasure's all mine, Matsushita-san. I am Yuki Sohma." Emi squealed excitedly, jumping up and down. Yuki stared confusedly at her and wracked his brain to remember if they had ever met. She was around his age, with brown eyes and long dark hair pulled into a ponytail. Emi looked like the average Japanese girl, except she was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. "This is soooooooo cool! I get to meet a Sohma!" Yuki was getting more puzzled by the second.

"Excuse me, but have we met before?" Emi giggled. "Nope. My cousin told me about you guys. She said the Sohmas are all cursed!" Yuki froze. "C-cursed?" he asked nervously. His heart was racing 100 miles per minute, and his palms were sweaty. _How did she find out? Who's her cousin anyway?! _

Emi rambled on, oblivious to Yuki discomfort. "Cursed...with the best looks EVER! Hey, are you all right? You look kind of pale." Yuki shook his head. "No, I'm all right. _So that's what she meant. _Yuki sighed in relief. The Sohma secret was safe. "Who's your cousin?" Emi smiled. "Mai Gouto." Yuki blanched when he remembered her cousin was one of the most devoted members of his fanclub. Worse, if her cousin saw him in this state, she would spread it around the entire school; he would never live it down. And if Akito found out, well... Yuki couldn't even think about the horrors that would befall him.

"Anyway, I wanted to talk to you! That move that you used on that guy, that was AWESOME!" Emi blurted out, then covered her mouth and blushed. "I'm sorry. Was I too forward? Mom said I talk too much and one day I'll be kidnapped and she won't pay the ransom and...Oh. I'm doing it again." Emi laughed nervously and kicked at a pebble on the sidewalk. "No, It's all right." Yuki said softly. He was starting to warm up to this unusual girl and her fast pace of talking. Best of all, she was nothing like her cousin, who was scary obsessed with him. Emi gave him a relieved grin and linked arms with him. "Come on! Since you put up with me for..." Emi glanced at her watch. "Five minutes, I'll treat you to a crêpe." Yuki stammered as he was pulled along. "That really won't be necessary, Matsushita-san." Emi halted, almost throwing Yuki off balance. "Do you have somewhere you need to go?"Emi asked curiously.

"Ah...no." Emi smiled. "Then it's okay, right?" Yuki thought for a bit. _I might as well kill some time. _"All right. But I'm paying for my own." Emi smiled and kept pulling Yuki. "Goody! Let's go! By the way, you can call me Emi. Matsushita-san is quite a mouthful."

* * *

Ayame grinned as he snapped a few more photos of Yuki being pulled along by a stranger. "Tohru, more film!" Tohru reached into her pocket and extracted a new roll of film. Ayame quickly traded the full roll with the fresh one and said, "Come Tohru-chan! We must not let my beloved little brother run away!" After saying that, the snake swiftly moved from the bush behind a lamp-post, then scurried behind a mailbox. Tohru sweatdropped at his antics, but followed him, attracting a lot of attention. _I wonder how Gure is doing? Hope he's getting some good shots! _Ayame giggled as he snapped a picture of Yuki almost tripping on his high heels. _This is so much fun!_

A/N- Hee hee! I'm having so much fun with this fic! Sorry I didn't update sooner. School is not so fun. XP Next chappie I'll bring in some of the other Jyuunishi members in!

P.S. I just learned what the ruler thingimabobber was for! Having fun with it in this chapter, as you can see. :D

P.P.S. This chapter was named because both things appeared during the dares. Just so you know. :3

Ja ne!

xxfirebubblesxx


	4. A Race and Being Spotted!

Disclamer- I do not own Fruits Basket. :P

However, Emi and the plot is mine!

**Chapter 4**

After stumbling out of the pink boat, Kyo shuddered at the unpleasant ride that he had just been on. Kagura climbed out slightly more gracefully than Kyo, smiling happily. "What are you grinning about?" Kyo muttered. Kagura's smile grew bigger. "You silly! You didn't run away yet! For that I'm really grateful." Suddenly Kagura turned scary. "Besides, if you ran away, then I would have to hunt you down. And that would just spoil our date."

Kagura reverted back to her normal self, then took Kyo's hand. He started to pull away until he noticed she wasn't grabbing tightly, only gently holding hands. He turned a light red, but allowed her to continue. Kagura grinned slightly at him. "Do you want to eat lunch now? We still have to catch that movie." Kyo shrugged, "Whatever." She giggled and exclaimed, "Let's go!"

Kagura dropped his hand and started to run. "Race ya!" Kyo blinked. Once. Twice. Trice. "Hey! Wait up!" shouted Kyo. _When did she like racing? _Kyo mused. Both of them skillfully dodged everyone, a talent they honed their whole life. Kagura reached the exit first, breathing heavily. A few seconds later, Kyo caught up. Kagura held his hand and both of them walked slowly down the street towards the "cute Italian bistro" Kagura had mentioned. Meanwhile, a certain dog was trailing them, taking pictures and grinning like a lunatic.

* * *

Yuki was eating a strawberry crêpe while Emi was nibbling on a chocolate crêpe and talking at the same time. "I just moved here from America. My family is still looking for a house, so we're staying with my cousin, Mai Gouto." Yuki took a bite of his crêpe, chewing it thoughtfully. "Is it difficult starting over in a new country?" Emi nodded. "Yep. I dress differently, talk Japanese with a American accent, and have no friends. I was trying to be nice to Mai, but she's a little..."

Emi thought while taking another bite. "…eccentric. She's obsessed over this really popular guy at school. And I quote her exact words: "He is **the** best looking guy at school **and** he's intelligent **and** great at sports" and blah blah blah. Honestly, she was going to drag out all her pictures and videos of him." Yuki sweatdropped. "Excuse me, but how many pictures and videos were there?" Emi giggled (A/N: She's doing that a lot ;) "I guess there were three photo albums and six videos. And that's not all! The rest of them are in the hands of the leader, Motoko Minagawa. Those girls really need some hobbies besides stalking the guy. He probably has a huge ego with more than half the girls in his school falling for him." Yuki shivered. He had no idea those girls were filming his that much. He had to be careful now. Emi frowned. "You know, I never got to see what the guy looks like. Hey, what school do you go to?"

"Kaibara High School."

Emi's jaw dropped. "No way! I'm gonna go there too! This is so cool! I just made my first friend!" She jumped up excitedly, then paused. "I am your friend, right?"

Yuki gave her a small smile, the one that always made girls swoon because it was a _real_ one. "Of course, Emi-san."

Emi squealed happily while reached out to hug him. Yuki ducked out of the hug by twisting his body around so Emi ended up embracing air. There was a moment's silence. Yuki felt horrible. It seemed like he had just rejected one of the few people that accepted him for being who he really was. With this friendly open girl, he didn't need the "Prince Yuki" facade. On the other hand, he couldn't let her hug him. The silence broke after Emi chuckled uncomfortably.

"Erm...sorry. I guess you don't really like hugs, huh?"

Yuki sighed miserably. "No. It's not that. I just can't."

Emi considered this for a moment, then nodded. "You know, Yuki-chan. You are one unusual girl, but I am glad you're my friend."

Yuki broke into a relieved smile, making his face appear more divine. Emi studied his looks curiously until Yuki noticed and let his small smile disappear.

"Is there something on my face?" Yuki wiped his mouth self-consciously with his napkin. Emi shook her head. "You should smile more, like me! It makes you even more..." she tried to find the right adjective. "…radiant, Yuki-chan." Suddenly there was a loud laugh behind them. Emi peered over Yuki's shoulder. There stood everybody's favorite rabbit and ox!

"Yuki-_chan?" _Momiji laughed. "Honestly, Yuki, did you forget about something?"

Haru was grinning while he lightly squeezed Yuki's shoulders. "Hello gorgeous."

Yuki brushed Haru's hands off and turned to an awestruck Emi. "Emi-san, these are my cousins, Momiji Sohma and Hatsuharu Sohma." Emi grinned back and said, "Cool! More Sohmas! My cousin was right about something." Momiji asked curiously, "What?" Emi giggled at the cute blonde jumping up and down. "Sohmas are really cute!" Momiji squealed happily and said, "Haru and I think you're cute too! Right Haru?" Haru nodded solemnly.

"See! Ooh, crêpes! Haru, let's go get some!" Haru nodded, then followed Momiji to get some. "Stay right there! We'll be right back." As soon as they were gone, Emi gave Yuki a large Cheshire-cat grin. "There's something you haven't been telling me." she sing-songed.

"Really?"

_Besides the fact I'm actually a guy and turn into a rat, nope, no secrets. _"That Haru likes you!" Yuki groaned softly. "Emi-san, he's my cousin."

Emi shrugged. "You guys must get along pretty well."

Yuki smiled secretively. "I have some things in common with my cousins. _We all turn into animals from the Chinese Zodiac when we're hugged by members of the opposite gender. Hmm. Can't really tell her that. _

"We're back!" Momiji bounced back to their table, pulling up a chair. Haru was behind him, carefully holding two crêpes. Sitting down, he passed Momiji his crêpe and started eating his. Pretty soon, Momiji and Emi were chatting happily while Yuki and Haru were having a more serious discussion in a low tone.

"What were you thinking?"

"...I don't know."

"That's the problem! You weren't! She's bound to figure it out. Did you think you could be friends with her for one day then forget about her? When she goes to school, she'll know who's the prince all the girls want! God, Yuki, you're smart, but sometimes you act incredibly stupid."

"All right! I get it. I'll tell her-"

A giggling Momiji abruptly ended their conversation. "Look! Isn't that To-ru?" He pointed at a mailbox, where a girl was clearly hiding behind it. Something about her long brown hair with the familiar yellow ribbons gave it away.

"To-ru! Come here!" Momiji shouted, waving frantically. Tohru "eeped" softly and tried to cower behind the mail box more, but Momiji ran over and pulled her over to their table. Her face was flushed and her hat was tilted lopsidedly on her head. Grinning, Haru reached over and adjusted it. Tohru blushed embarrassingly and lowered herself on an empty chair. "Honda-san, what are you doing here?" Yuki asked bewilderedly. Tohru turned a darker shade of red as she frantically babbled out apologies. Yuki quickly cut her off by asking why she was here again. Tohru turned the darkest shade yet and stammered out, "W-well, Ayame-san..."

Yuki seethed. It was all his idiotic niisan's fault for putting Tohru up to this. "Where is that perverted brother of mine?" he asked in a low, dangerous tone.

Tohru gulped then slowly pointed to a bush that was blinking rapidly with what looked like a camera's flash. Yuki got up and walked over to that bush, with a black aura hanging over him. Many people gave him a wide berth as he gave the shrubbery a death glare. Reaching over, he pulled out a person with long white locks and a purple trenchcoat. Pretty soon they were yelling at each other. (well, Yuki?�s doing the yelling while Ayame is busy being Ayame. ; ) Finally, Yuki's distinguished patience snapped, and he ended up dragging his complaining (Yuki! Not my beloved hair-OWW!) older brother to their table. He plopped Aya down, grabbed his camera, and scowled darkly at his "beloved sibling." Ayame was still oblivious to Yuki's hostility because he still happily chatted about utter nonsense until he noticed Emi. "…and then, I-Ara? Who's that? She's been following you, right? Hint: Fangirls go away if you give them your signiture."

Tohru explained, "That's-" She blinked, remembering she didn't know either.

Yuki glared at Aya while making introductions. "Brother, this is Emi Matsushita. Emi, this is my annoying excuse of a elder brother, Ayame Sohma." Emi gaped at Yuki, then Aya, then back again. "You guys are brother and sister? Well, you do look alike, but..."

Momiji nodded knowingly. "Yuki and Aya's personalities are polar opposites!" Haru added, "Yuki can't stand Aya, while Aya adores Yuki."

"I kinda figured that out..." Emi sweatdropped as they started arguing again. Haru suddenly grinned slyly. "Hey Yuki, you're still going with the bet?"

Momiji quickly caught on and chirped, "Yeah, the last time you dressed up like this was at the cultural festival, remember? You looked so pretty!"

"Yes! You were really kind to the third year girls, trying to make happy memories for them," agreed oblivious, kind Tohru. Emi asked curiously, "What happened at the cultural festival?"

Ayame grinned, finally catching on what Momiji and Haru were doing. "Why, it's a legend at my beloved sibling's school! Little Yuki here unselfishly wore a dress the entire day to please the third year girls!" Emi frowned, not noticing Yuki glaring at his "beloved" brother. "Why? Does Yuki-chan not like wearing dresses?"

Aya sighed mournfully. "Alas, no. I have lovingly created so many dresses, but for some reason, Yuki doesn't want to model for me." Yuki blushed, then replied hotly, "Have you seen what those dresses look like? They expose more skin than it covers!" Emi wondered what kind of dresses those were, then asked Aya, "You make dresses?" Aya beamed. They had gotten around to one of his favorite topics! He started rambling on to a facinated Emi about his shop being "the place where male fantasies come true" while the rest of them ignored him. Momiji grinned slightly as he finished off his crêpe. _This day is turning out to be very intersesting. I wonder how Kyo and Kagura are doing? _

* * *

A/N: Hi peoples! Sorry that I haven't updated in forever! To make it up to you guys, I made this chapter extra long! (by my standards...) Thanks for waiting! (Again: GOMEN NASAI!!!) Also, can somebody give me an idea on how Yuki is going to tell Emi?

Plz R&R!

Ja ne!

xxfirebubblesxx


	5. Spaghetti Sauce and Spilling Secrets

Disclaimer- Don't own. 

**Chapter 5 **

Kyo puzzled over the foreign-sounding food. "What is pizza?" Kagura shrugged helplessly. "Umm...bread with stuff on it?"

Kyo cocked an eyebrow. "Ok, then what's spaghetti?"

Kagura giggled. "Noodles, I think.?"

"How the heck are we supposed to order if we don't know what's on the menu?"

"Heeheehee..."

"Stop laughing! This isn't funny."

"Okay, sorry. How about we order this...spaghetti? It sounds pretty good."

"Fine."

In the end, they ordered salad, breadsticks, water, and two plates of spaghetti, .

The meal went smoothly until the waiter brought the dreaded foreign noodles.

When the spaghetti came, they looked at it curiously. There was a lot of red sauce on top of pasta. Kagura bravely picked up a fork and swirled it around so the two blended together. She twirled a little on her fork, then ate it. Kyo stared at her while she chewed it thoughtfully.

"Well? How does it taste?"

Swallowing, she smiled brightly. "It's really good!"

Kyo warily started eating the pasta and to his relief, it was delicious.

At another table sat an observing dog, quietly sipping coffee while taking the occasional picture without the flash. It wouldn't do to be caught now! Not when there was so much glorious blackmail material to be used, if only he captured it. And captured it he did. He was grinning cheerfully until a waiter approached the man (who was apparently a stalker) and asked him to leave. Shigure decided that using his fantastically good looks to persuade him would just be a waste of his time, so he paid for his drink and stormed out huffily. Besides, he needed to get another roll of film. So Shigure left in search of a convenience store while Kyo and Kagura finished their dinner. Suprisingly, they were able to have a proper conversation that didn't involve threatening, declarations of love, or being beaten into a bloody pulp for Kyo. In fact, he rather enjoyed it. He realized that she could be intelligent and funny after all! Kagura talked to him about her school.

"One time our school's drama club acted out a play, "Romeo and Juliet. However, the two people playing the title characters were ex-boyfriend/girlfriend! Rumor has it once during dress rehearsal Juliet pushed Romeo off the ladder he was climbing up to meet her because of some crass comment he made...a few months ago! Honestly, some girls are vicious," grinned Kagura. Kyo laughed, then stopped in surprise. _I didn't know she could be this funny. _Kagura glanced at the clock on the wall. "Eh? It's this late already? We're going to miss the movie!" They quickly paid and hailed a taxi outside.

Shigure, holding four new rolls of film, saw the two getting away! Quickly, he jumped into a loitering taxi and cried dramatically, "Follow that car!" The driver, a middle-aged man, stared at him strangely, but did as the dog requested. Shigure settled down with a determined look on his face. He would not let those two lovebirds get away, no matter what! And so, the mad chase begins...

* * *

After Momiji and Haru finished their crêpes, the gang didn't know what to do.

"My dear Tohru-chan! I think it's time for us to go!" Ayame sang gleefully, trying to escape before Yuki "talked" to him.

"You are not going anywhere, _**niisan.**_ We have a few things to talk about." Yuki smiled with a menacing air at the quivering, frightened lump that was his brother. _It's too late to run away... _The rest of them marveled how Yuki could put on such a pleasant demeanor while threatening somebody.

"Ehh...Yuki-kun, I don't think it's a good idea to do this right here." Tohru stuttered.

"Wait a minute! Yuki-_kun?_ Yuki-chan's a girl, right?" Emi asked confusedly.

They might have explained to the innocent girl what was going on without disturbing her too much, if Ritsu hadn't decided to make an appearance.

"Yuki-san! Is that you?" the timid monkey questioned, popping out of nowhere.

"Ritsu-san! It's so nice to see you again!" Tohru greeted him happily. After they introduced him to Emi, Ritsu remembered Yuki.

"Yuki-san! I didn't know you shared my hobby." Ritsu smiled shyly.

"Hobby? What hobby could Yuki-chan share with Ritsu-san?" Emi asked, cocking her head to a side, looking like the picture of confusion itself.

Haru suddenly spoke. "Cross-dressing."

And all hell broke loose.

* * *

A/N: Whoot! Exams are over! Hello SUMMER! XDDDD

The long-awaited chapter 6 is here! Please R&R!

BTW- People were asking if Emi is going to be paired up with Yuki. She's not. Unlike most of my other stories, I'm striving for it to be humorous. Being paired up with a character I created is not funny for poor Yuki-kun. They're just friends.

I'll update soon since I have lots of time to write, so...

Ja ne!

Mimi-chan

xxfirebubblesxx


	6. Running Away

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the twisted ideas in my head. **O.o**

**Chapter 6**

Kagura shrieked and clung onto Kyo's arm as the curious girl's dainty hand reached slowly towards the closet door.

"Oh God, don't open it. Nononono!" Kagura whispered. She slapped her free hand over her eyes but unable to resist, continued watching the movie by peeking through her fingers. Kyo chuckled at the older girl's antics, highly amused. At the movie theater, she was the one who wanted to watch this, despite her unrational fear of ghosts. Kyo had suggested a romantic comedy (for her sake, mind you! Kyo, the manly dude, does not get frightened! The time when Shigure hid in the closet and popped out at two in the morning when he went to get a glass of water does NOT count), but she insisted, saying that this was better. Since part of the dare was to obey Kagura's every whim, he really couldn't argue, so here they were; Kyo enjoying the movie while Kagura grabbed onto Kyo for dear life as the evil spirit slowly devoured the screaming girl. A few rows away, Shigure was silently crying rivers of crocodile tears just because he wasn't allowed to use a camera in here. _Those beautiful little rolls of film! Daddy can't wait to use you!_

"Would you relax? It's all special effects and computer animation," muttered Kyo. Kagura let her hand drop from her face embarrasedly, and sat still; however, she still kept a tight grip on Kyo's quickly briusing forearm. He winced when K agura squished his arm again when another scary part came on the screen. _That girl doesn't know her own strength at all!_ He was not looking forward to the bruises that were sure to appear tomorrow.

* * *

After the scary movie was over, Kyo, Kagura, and a wave of other frightened viewers left the theater, chattering amiably about the film. Kagura was still clinging to Kyo's left arm, highly disturbed over the grotesque ending, where the heroine managed to defeat the evil spirit, but then got killed in a car crash. After she died, the monster that so many had sacrificed their lifes for was released again. 

Kagura said, "It should have been a happier ending. Couldn't the heroine have died of old age?"

Kyo shrugged, "Well, not everything has to have a happy ending, you know?"

His date vehemently shook her head. "There aren't enough happy endings in the world." The tone of her voice made him study her for a moment. For a second, she looked very focused, staring intently at him. Then she blushed and looked away. Kyo noticed that they were now holding hands.

Suddenly uncomfortable, he looked away and muttered, "What's next on our agenda?"

Much to Kyo's relief, Kagura finally let go and pulled out her map from her bag.

"We are supposed to be on our way to dinner. Are you hungry?"

Kyo shook his head. The popcorn and awful fizzy soda had ruined his appitite.

Kagura smiled, "Me neither! So let's go to the beach first, then we'll eat dinner."

Kyo murmered an agreement, so they waited at the bus stop for bus 294, the boar still holding the cat's hand.

* * *

Shigure was delighted! So much lovely footage! He was exhilarated to see that the hand-holding had not stopped after they left the movie theater. He had silently tagged along, getting excellent shots of Kagura clinging to Kyo's arm, the two of them whispering and **BLUSHING!** Oh, the glorious heating of cheeks, sweet whispers, forbidden **_luuurve!_** For goodness sake, couldn't they tell they were practically emiting rays of lovebird-ishness! They didn't even notice the "aww, aren't they the perfect couple" stares they were receiving from strangers. One girl had burst into tears and asked her boyfriend why he never looked at her that way! The dog had gotten a nice shot of that too. 

_Ooh! Holding hands by the bus stop! Ah, the joys of young luuurve!_ Shigure thought gleefully as he snapped a shot of the two of them, then zoomed in to them holding hands, Kagura's small one enveloped in Kyo's larger one. The hands seperated right after he took the picture. Shigure whined a bit when they started to board the bus, but then realized it was another great photo-taking opportunity in disguise!

He slunk onto the bus last, crouching over a bit to hide himself behind a plump woman, who stared at him suspiciously. Miraculously, he managed to situate himself behind her and snuck into a empty seat a few rows behind them. He watched as the "lovebirds" started talking about something, then Kagura pulled swimsuits out of her bag. Kyo was surprised and started talking really fast, but Kagura just laughed and stuffed them back into her bag. Then Kyo turned grumpy and sulked while Kagura was counting the amount of money for their bus fare. After two more stops, Kagura and Kyo got off, so Shigure also hastened to do so. He quickly dropped his bus fare into the metal box and got off the bus, breathing in the salty ocean air. He had no idea there was a bus route that went to the beach! Looking around, he spotted Kagura forcing Kyo to "take your swimsuit and go CHANGE NOW, FOR GOD'S SAKE!" Kyo cringed and grabbed it, muttering obsenities behind his breath. Kagura stopped being scary and quickly followed him to the bathrooms, skipping and humming happily.

* * *

After he finished changing, Kyo grabbed his clothes and headed out of the smelly public bathroom, his sensitive nose wrinkling in disgust. Kagura was waiting for him outside, looking adorable in her pink and brown two piece. She had also magically produced a floppy straw hat with a pink ribbon out of her bag. Kagura giggled when she caught him staring at her slack-jawed, not unlike most of the men on the beach. Stuffing his clothes into her bag, she exclaimed, "Come on! I already got a spot set up!" Pulling him impatiently by the arm, she dragged Kyo over to admire her handiwork. "Ta da!" She pointed, and with amazement, he saw a large beach towel spread on the sand and a large umbrella shading it. 

"Kagura, where did all this stuff come from?"

She grinned, obviously pleased with his reaction. "I called the rental store and had it prepared in the morning."

Suddenly there was a small voice behind them calling "Kagura-nee?"

Turning around, they saw Kisa and Hiro!

"Kisa-chan! It's so nice to see you," gushed Kagura, bending down to hug the younger girl who was wearing a yellow swimsuit. Hiro was wearing red trunks and an expression of annoyance/jealousy.

Kyo asked "What are you doing here, little brat?"

Hiro glared at him with obvious dislike in his eyes. "Why can't we be here? This is a public beach, you know. Do you own it? Cause I don't see you're name on it." Kyo could hardly get a word in edgewise while Hiro was ranting. Finally the ram stopped, hands crossed over his chest. Kagura asked if they came alone. Kisa shook her head and whispered "My mom is over there." Sure enough, they could see the raven-haired woman spreading a beach towel onto the sand.

Kagura smiled kindly at Kisa. "Do you want to build a sandcastle?"

Kisa shook her head eagerly and repeated the question to Hiro. He shrugged and agreed.

"Then it's settled! Kyo, my love! Come build a sandcastle with us."

Kyo grumbled a bit, but complied. The four of them ran to the edge of the shore, where the sea met the sand. Hiro found a large patch of wet sand, close enough to the ocean to get seawater, but far enough so when the waves washed in, the castle wouldn't be destroyed. The four of them set to work, getting buckets of seawater to craft the castle and molding the lumpy pile of sand into a smooth, even block. Then Kagura, who was skilled at crafts, started making small windows and turrets on the sandcastle. Kisa and Hiro splashed around in the shallow water, looking for small shells or seaweed to decorate their masterpiece, occasionally returning to land with a "treasure." Kyo was helping Kagura and keeping an eye on the children to make sure that they wouldn't be swept out to sea.

Finally, the sandcastle was completed. It had turrets, windows, a door, and even a small moat. Decorated with seashells, kelp and seaweed, and shards of green, blue, and clear glass, it was admired by all, including Kisa's mother who had come over to see what they were doing. Kagura stood up and stretched, feeling sore from squatting so long. Abruptly, Kisa shrieked. Everybody turned to stare at her. She was pointing towards a huge wave that was rapidly advancing towards them. It crashed down and everyone was soaked. The only thing left of their sandcastle was a small lump of soggy sand and shells. Hiro patted the tiger's arm while she cried. Kagura knelt down and said "It's okay! We'll just build another one. Why don't we go swimming now, since we're already wet?"

Kisa nodded, and everybody tumbled into the ocean, shrieking and chasing the waves. They stood knee-deep in the water, feeling the sand squish between their toes. The funniest part during their time at the beach was when a strand of kelp slithered against Hiro's legs, making him jump around and yell. Kyo almost fell over laughing; the ram just looked hilarious! Hiro glared at the laughing cat, but instead of ranting, he splashed salty water into Kyo's open mouth. He sputtered and spat a few times, earning a few more giggles from the watching girls. Kyo splashed water towards the little brat, but he ducked and it landed on Kagura. The boar stopped laughing immediately and stared at Kyo with a fiery expression.

She swiped the water off her face furiously, and screamed "WATER FIGHT!"

* * *

Lazing under the shade of Kagura's umbrella, Shigure sipped Pocari Sweat (1) while taking the occasional picture of the water war. _What a lovely day. Sun shining, seagulls squawking, not a cloud in sight. The temperature is just right, with just a slight breeze. It feels perfect._

Suddenly, a group of teenager girls in bikinis strolled by, giggling and gawking at the devastatingly handsome man. Shigure tried to concentrate on the mission, but couldn't stand it after the brunette winked at him. _I'm sorry Aya! But somebody's got to make sure those lovely young ladies aren't lost,_ thought Shigure, standing up and strolling towards the girls.

* * *

**While Kagura, Kyo, and Shigure were enjoying themselves, let's see how Yuki and company are dealing with Emi...**

After Haru spilled the beans, the others watched on in a horrifed silence as Emi mulled this over. The ox finally realized his error and slowly inched behind Tohru, his only shield against the demon with the face of an angel.

"...Wait...WHAT?!?" screamed Emi in English. She stared at Yuki, then at Ritsu, then the lavender sundress, then Ritsu's light green kimono. She started babbling really quickly in English. Due to their occasional English lessons at school, Tohru and Yuki could understand a few words; don't understand...Yuki...Ritsu...dress...trick...make me look stupid...why? Yuki turned around and stared daggers at Haru.

_If looks could kill... _thought Haru as he stayed hidden behind Tohru. He didn't understand what Emi was saying-scratch that-ranting, but judging Yuki's death stare, he guessed what he heard wasn't all that wonderful. Emi seemed to remember she was currently in Japan, so she switched back to Japanese. Unfortunetly, what she muttered wasn't all that better.

"I'm going home. Bye Tohru-chan." And then she ran, keeping her face down, not looking at anyone. Tohru started to go after her, but Yuki stopped her.

"Let her go," he mumbled sadly.

Momiji hated seeing everybody looked so depressed, so he piped up "To-ru, let's go eat cake."

Tohru seemed to forget about her worries if she kept herself busy with others' needs, so she gladly took this opportunity to herd them to Shigure's house "for a nice afternoon snack of cake and tea."

Since they were busy flagging down a taxi, nobody noticed when Ayame slipped the forgotten camera back into his trenchcoat pocket.

_After all, why waste an opportunity to have a good laugh?_

_

* * *

_

**_A/N: I am so sorry for the late update...I just couldn't get inspired. But now I have completed it! A long chapter too! I am proud..._ :D**

**(1) In Japan, Pocari Sweat is a really yummy sports drink...kinda like the Japanese version of Gatorade! Best served cold.**

**_The chapter name means Kyo and company was running away from the waves, while Emi was just plain running away._**

**_I might update some of my other stories too, either TOTH or TCAC. So look for them!_**

**_Ja ne!_**

**_Mimi-chan_**

**_xxfirebubblesxx_**


	7. Jelly Buns and Phone Calls

**Chapter 7**

"YAY! Cakeeeee!" exclaimed Momiji happily, wolfing down his slice of Tohru's homemade chocolate cake.

"Ah, Tohru-chan, this is absolutely spectacular! You're cooking is like the culinary sense of my clothing! My compliments to the chef," praised Ayame lavishly. Tohru blushed and tried to deny it, but Haru interrupted her by beginning a conversation with her about the type of tea she used. Occasionally, they would glance at the dreary figure at the side of the table. Even though Yuki changed back into his normal clothes and was sipping at his tea, he had an air of gloom surrounding him. Across from him, Ayame pantomimed drowning in the black aura, but was immediately silenced by Yuki flicking a sticky jelly bun at his face.

Wailing loudly, Ayame peeled the offending dessert off his cheek and shook it dramatically, causing it to burst and spray jelly all over the table. After Tohru cleaned up the mess and Aya apologized, he turned to Yuki again.

"My dearest brother, I, Ayame the Magnificent, am here to give you my worldly advice!" Ignoring the eyerolls he received, or maybe just not noticing, Aya plowed on determinedly. "Although your little fangirl was pretty, you'll get over her soon. There are many other fish in the sea! Why, just the other day--"

"That's not it." Everyone looked at Haru, who had (thankfully) interrupted Aya. Setting his teacup down, Haru continued, "Yuki valued Emi's friendship because she wasn't a fangirl, just a chatterbox who was lonely. Thus, they formed a tentative friendship based on lies and deceit from Yuki's part. Tohru, can I have more cake?" Momiji blinked and grinned while Tohru cut a generous slice of cake for Haru. He always had a habit of being straight-to-the-point and could be extremely blunt at times.

Yuki was annoyed. How was Haru's speech supposed to help? If anything, it just made him feel guiltier.

"I can't do anything about it now. I have no way of getting in contact with her," stated Yuki.

"Didn't Emi-san say she was Gouto-san's cousin? Maybe you could call her," suggested Tohru.

"Won't that be really bad for Emi if Yuki's fanclub finds out?" asked Momiji. "Poor Emi might not make it out, of high school alive."

Everyone who knew Mokoto Minagawa, president of the Prince Yuki fanclub, shuddered at her vengeful wrath towards anyone who was close to Yuki.

"Somebody should call the poor maiden, to let her know we are thinking of her," cried Aya. "But who should it be?"

After much discussion, it was finally decided that Momiji should be the one to call. Emi might not talk to Yuki and if Tohru called, Mai wouldn't let her anyway. She wasn't close to Haru or Ayame, and Ritsu had already left in hysterical fits of apologizing, so the rabbit would be the logical choice. Flipping through the school roster, they quickly located Mai's number and dialed.

Everyone held his or her breath as somebody picked up.

"Moshi moshi. Gouto residence. Mai speaking."

Momiji closed his eyes, focused for a second, then launched into his super love-love cutesy act. "Hello, Gouto-sempai! I'm Momiji-kun! May I talk to Emi-chan for an itsy-bitsy second?"

They noticed he didn't give his last name.

Mai, bowled over by the cuteness of Momiji, stammered, "O-of course, but she's not here right now. She's been missing ever since this morning when she went out to explore by herself. Emi should be back soon...do you want to leave a message, um...Momiji-kun?"

Glancing over at Yuki, who nodded, Momiji said, "Yes, please! Would you tell Emi-chan to call me back? It's really urgent!??After telling Mai the phone number to Shigure's house, he hung up.

Turning to his audience, he asked cheerily, "So, how'd I do?"

* * *

The sun was setting. As it teetered precariously over the horizon, the last few rays set the sky on fire, orange clashing and combining with red and yellow while frolicking with tints of pink. Casting a heavenly glow upon the stragglers on the beach, it seemed as if it was telling them to go home.

"Good-bye Kyo, Kagura-nee!" waved Kisa. Her mother had draped a large towel over her small frame and was leading Hiro and her away. Kagura waved back energetically as they left. Turning back to Kyo, she grabbed her clothes and a dry towel and headed towards the bathroom to change.

"Come on, change quickly! I don't know if they'll hold my dinner reservation!"

Grumbling slightly, Kyo also grabbed his clothes and ran after her.

After they left, Shigure, who had been hiding behind the rental shop, popped out, snickering gleefully. He had just gotten beautiful shots of them frolicking happily on the beach and six different high school girls' telephone numbers. All in all, Shigure was a very happy pup.

Soon, they both came out completely dressed. After returning the beach towel and the large umbrella to the rental shop, they strolled to the street, where they waved down a taxi. Shigure wanted to follow them, but when he counted the loose change rattling in his pocket, he realized that if he followed them, he wouldn't have enough money to return home. Whining disappointedly, he hailed another taxi five minutes later and went home, sobbing in the back seat and frightening the driver. So unbeknownst to them, Kyo and Kagura were able to have a peaceful dinner without being spied upon.

When they finally reached the restaurant, Kagura ran to the waiter and said, "I made a reservation under the name Sohma."

"Hold on, ma'am." Scanning the reservation book, he said, "Ah ha! Here it is: Sohma, 6:30." Suddenly, the waiter frowned and stared at the clock.

"I'm sorry dear, but you're too late. If you're not here by the time we called your name, it's canceled," shrugged the waiter.

"WHAT?" Whirling around, they saw the time was already 6:37. Turning back to the impatient waiter, she seethed, "You couldn't wait for seven lousy minutes?" Sensing a storm of anger brewing, Kyo tugged worriedly at Kagura's arm.

"Kagura," a tone of warning crept into his voice. "Don't demolish the place like Shigure's house."

The waiter, who was looking quite bored, stiffened when he heard that remark. Kagura looked nothing like the cute girl she was before, with mellow gray eyes and soft smiles. Now she was a barely controlled hurricane of fists and fire. Pulling even more insistently now, Kyo managed to drag a furious Kagura outside, yelling obscenities. When they got outside and he let go, she deflated and said, "What do we do now?"

Kyo ran a hand through his hair, shrugging. "I dunno. Go home? I'm sure Tohru will feed us." Staring at him, Kagura felt her stomach tightening, her recently squashed anger reviving and boiling at that careless statement. Only this time, she didn't try to restrain herself.

**"NO!"**

There. She did it. All the anger, hurt, and frustration came tumbling out in that one word. Astonished, Kyo stared at the petite girl, hands balled up into fists again and head lowered, bangs shielding her eyes.

Continuing with a steady voice, she whispered, "No. Kyo, why?"

She could hear him coming closer, muttering curses. Sighing, he asked, "Kagura, what's wrong?"

Lifting her head, Kyo was shocked to see tears threatening to fall.

_No. I can't tell him. I can't tell him that I'm jealous. I'm a terrible person, being jealous of Tohru, one of my bestest friends! I hate myself, for wanting just a little more time with him.__ Please god. Just a little more time. I don't know why he went out with me today, but I know it's not because he likes me. _

"If you didn't want to go home yet, just say so." Blinking away the tears, Kagura was startled at the sight of a slightly impatient Kyo offering his hand to her. Slowly, she tentatively wrapped her fingers around his larger ones and gave them a soft squeeze as if she was testing whether he was really there. In response, he tightened his grip and began dragging a surprised Kagura away.

"Where are we going?"

"You didn't want to go home yet, right? So we're going to eat, of course. I'm hungry."

Suddenly, an overwhelming happiness flooded through her entire being and she leaped on Kyo, giving him a great big bear hug.

"Hey! Geroff me!" struggled Kyo, trying to peel her off.

Kagura laughed, squeezing him even tighter.

_There's no such thing as forever, but there's always today and tomorrow._

* * *

"I'm home!" 

Emi kicked off her sneakers and left them in a messy pile, not bothering to pick them up.

Her aunt poked her head out of the kitchen. "Ah, Emi-chan! Where were you? Are you hungry?"

She smiled wanly and shook her head.

"Nope. Just tired."

Ignoring the incoming questions, she took the stairs two at a time and ran into the room she shared with Mai, slamming the door behind her. Unfortunately, Mai was already there, unpacking her stuff.

"Hey, my mom wanted me to help you unpack," explained Mai, pulling Emi's clothes from a box and placing them into the closet.

"Oh...thank you," said Emi as she knelt down and started to help. "I can do the rest on my own."

Mai grinned, "What kind of a hostess would I be if I didn't help my cousin?" Therefore, Emi was resigned to the fact that Mai would stay and help her unpack. Surprisingly, Emi realized Mai wasn't that boring once she stopped talking about this Prince Yuki guy. As they were unpacking, the conversation jumped to all kinds of topics, ranging from the hottest celebrity to avocados. (Don't ask.)

When they were finally done, the two of them collapsed on Mai's bed, worn out.

Suddenly, Emi spotted something peeking out from a row of neatly stacked books. Curious, she reached for the picture, but Mai snatched it first and giggled. "Sorry, but you can't see it." Pouting slightly, Emi leaned back on the pillows, trying to think of how she could see it, when the perfect distraction came in the form of Mai's mom shouting, "Dinner!" Plucking the photo from a distracted Mai, she came face to face with a picture of a boy wearing the standard high school uniform who looked like...

"Yuki?" she gasped.

Mai squealed, "Hey! How'd you know? He's Yuki Sohma! So adorable..."

Emi ignored her cousin's rambling and started to connect the dots.

_Okay, so Yuki-chan was actually a boy, but I thought he was a weirdo who likes cross-dressing, not the most popular guy in school! So that Yuki Sohma is this Yuki Sohma...My God! I feel so stupid! _

Mai jumped up and snapped her fingers, unknowingly snapping Emi out of her reverie. "I forgot to tell you that a kid named Momiji-kun called for you while you were out. Here's his number."

With fumbling fingers, Emi grabbed the slip of paper and in her haste to get to the nearest phone, tripped over an empty cardboard box and tumbled down the stairs, landing in a disoriented pile at the bottom. The quickly recovering type of girl, Emi bounced back up and stumbled to the phone, ignoring her mother's screams of "Lie back down! You'll get a concussion!"

She punched in the numbers, messing up three times while wondering why the phone numbers were so long in Japan and why were the buttons so dang small?

The phone rang three times before a man with a mellow baritone voice picked it up and said, "Moshi moshi?"

Emi bit her lip, confused. She was pretty sure Momiji's voice wasn't that deep and Yuki didn't sound like that, Tohru was a girl, and it could be Haru, but Mai said it was Momiji's number, and why wasn't she saying anything back to the nice man who answered?!

"A-ano, may I s-speak to M-momiji-kun?" she stuttered nervously.

Shigure smiled--this must be the little fangirl Yuki picked up earlier today, but why was she asking for Momiji?

"He's not here!" replied Shigure. "Would Yuki do?" Before Emi could answer, Shigure sang, "Oh Yuki! Your fangirl's calling!"

"I'm not his fangirl!" shouted Emi.

Shigure smirked. It was so much fun toying with them. Seriously, he said, "I'm sorry, I know you're actually his secret lover."

"WHAT?!" Two earpiercing shrieks was his response--Yuki and Emi's. Shigure was rolling around laughing as Yuki pried the phone from him and added a ruthless kick for good measure. Holding the phone to his ear, he whispered, "Hello, Emi-san."

* * *

A/N: Ahh, final exams are finished! I feel so relieved! yay:D 

This chapter has been rolling around my little skull during the looong weeks I was supposed to be studying. Now that finals are over, I typed up this chapter to celebrate! woot!

On the topic of conversation-jumping:

Isn't it weird how a conversation can jump really fast? Did you know avocados are really fruit? See what I mean? During lunch, my friends and I are having our randomly weird everyday conversations (while one of us -coughJessiecough- is playing with the insides of her tuna fish sandwich which looks like cat barf) and it always ends with somebody (Vivian) chasing someone else (usually me) and shouting in Chinese to, "get back here, you superhypercrazyasianchick!"

yeah.

actually, the superhypercrazyasianchick part is shouted in english. It was coined by yours truly after a huge sugar rush. Now whenever I'm hyper, they say, "mimi-chan, did you get to the sugar again?"

lol. I luv my friends. they're the best friends any superhypercrazyasianchick can have.

go tell your friends you luv them today! do it! seriously! yeah!

wow. i really do conversation-jump really fast.

btw- i'm asian, if you haven't already figured that out from the three superhypercrazyasianchick's I typed up there... :)

ja ne!

mimi-chan  
xxfirebubblesxx


	8. Return and Reconciliation

Disclaimer: Yeah...I wish. :P

**Chapter 8**

Kagura gasped in astonishment. Just a few seconds ago they were traveling down an abandoned street, but when they turned the corner, the hustle and bustle of a busy nightmarket greeted them. There were taverns selling all kinds of things lining both sides of the street. As Kyo impatiently pulled her along, Kagura couldn? t stop staring at all the attractions. She was so busy looking at a ring toss booth that she failed to notice that Kyo had abruptly stopped; consequently, she bumped into his back.

"Ow..."she moaned, rubbing her forehead. "Kyo, why did we stop?"

"Idiot. There's an okonomiyaki booth right here,??said Kyo, tugging her into the small stand. Sitting at an outdoor table with him staring at her, the boar blushed and examined the floor, which suddenly seemed incredibly fascinating. After a moment's silence, Kyo ordered two of the Japanese pizzas, along with two bottles of water. As the waiter left, they mutely glanced at each other, then looked away.

The lack of conversation was frustrating Kyo. "Umm...have you ever been to one of these things before?"

Kagura smiled, lost in her memories. "Yup. Once, when I was really little, my dad carried me on his shoulders so no one would bump into me. I had a great time. How about you?"

Kyo shrugged, "Nope. I heard that there was going to be a nightmarket today, so I thought we'd come here."

Kagura managed an intelligent "oh."

Thankfully, the awkward silence was broken when the waiter brought the food. Kyo started to eat, unaware that Kagura had paled at the site of her own dish. Looking up, he saw Kagura listlessly picking at the okonomiyaki.

"What's wrong?"

She jumped, looking slightly guilty under his worried stare. Shaking her head rapidly, she speared a small piece of egg and nibbled at it. "Nothing's wrong!"

Kyo snorted, "Yeah right. What's the matter??When Kagura stayed silent, Kyo choked out, "Don't tell me you're anorexic!"

She was so startled by his conclusion she started laughing. ? No, silly! It's just..." Pointing to the thin strips of pork, she whispered, "I can't eat them. It feels wrong."

The cat wanted to smack himself for being so stupid. Of course the girl cursed with the spirit of the boar wouldn't want to eat pork! Even thinking about what it would feel like to eat one of his kind caused the cat spirit inside him to tremble uncomfortably.

"Ah hell. I forgot! Dammit all, I'm sorry."

Panicking, Kagura blurted out, "N-no! It's okay! I never told you!"

Scratching his head thoughtfully, Kyo said, "Well then, can you eat beef?"

A few minutes later, Kagura was happily eating a beef okonomiyaki while Kyo now had two pork okonomiyakis.

Kyo mused aloud, "I wonder if Haru, Hiro, and Kureno have the same problem as you.?"

Kagura giggled. This thought had never occurred to her. "Hmm...maybe."

After sitting silently for a few minutes, Kyo hesitantly said, "Since we weren't able to eat at that restaurant, let me make it up to you. We can stay a little longer and play some games or something."

Kagura's jaw dropped as she stared at Kyo. Embarrassed for blurting out something like that, he blushed and stammered, "I mean, if you don't want to, forget it."

Snapping out of her surprise, she beamed. "Yes! Of course I want to, silly! Thank you!"

Excited over the idea that they could spend more time together, Kagura shoveled down the rest of her food and washed it down with water. Bouncing around eagerly as she watched Kyo, she urged him to eat faster. Finally, Kyo polished off his two okonomiyakis, took an impossibly long sip of water, and started to pay for the meal. Jumping up, Kagura stammered, "Kyo, I can pay!"

Shaking her off impatiently, Kyo pulled out the needed amount and threw it to the cashier, then pulled her out onto the street. Pouting, Kagura asked, "Why didn't you let me? You've been paying the whole day!"

Kyo snapped, "It's nothing, okay?" Seeing her hurt expression, he softened slightly and said, "Let's go play some games, okay? You were staring at the ring toss booth earlier, right?"

The hour that followed was so adorable (and consequently, perfect blackmail material), Shigure would have drowned in his own tears if he knew what he missed. At the end of the night, their arms were loaded down with so many stuffed animals and prizes that they didn? t know what to do with them all. Kagura was clutching on to a large plush panda, a stuffed orange cat, and a cell phone case in one arm, a half-eaten sausage in the other. Kyo was holding on to even more toys, including bunnies, a large tiger, a fluffy puppy, a stuffed pink pig, a wooly lamb, and a water-filled plastic bag with three goldfish swimming inside. A brown plush monkey that had Velcro hands was hanging around his neck. To Kyo? s amusement, she had won the large plush panda at the "Test Your Strength" game. Smiling sweetly, she had picked up the heavy mallet and smashed the object all the way on the top of the strength board. Dumbfounded, the owner handed Kagura her prize, then gaped at her as she skipped away, squealing happily at Kyo to "lookie lookie!" Later, they had bought all kinds of treats, from cotton candy to oden, Japanese stew. Kyo had discovered his latent talent of catching fish with a paper scoop. Kagura had teased him, saying it was all because of the cat spirit. As the minutes ticked by, the street started to get more crowded.

Looking around worriedly, Kagura stated, "It seems like the later it gets, the more people come."

Nodding, Kyo said, "We should start going home." Maneuvering around clusters of people and using their stuffed animals as protection, they managed to avoid serious disasters. As they reached the end of the street, Kagura cheered, "We made it!"

While Kyo was hailing a taxi, he asked, ? Do you want to go home or come back to Shigure's with me?"

Surprised, Kagura thought about it. Before, Kyo would'e dropped her in front of her house without a second thought, but now he was actually asking for her opinion! Nibbling at her bottom lip, she grinned weakly. "ah. I better get home soon. My parents will be wondering where I am!?"

Kyo stared, surprised at her unusual behavior. "Well, if you're sure..."

Nodding energetically as she climbed into the taxi, she piped up, "Yup! Positive!"

Shrugging as he climbed in after her, he gave directions to drop off Kagura first, then go to Shigure's house. As the taxi rumbled down the deserted streets, Kyo snuck a glance at an unusually quiet Kagura. Worried that she might be upset or something, he ran a hand through his vivid hair impatiently. Why couldn't girls be as easy to read, as, well...him? If he was hungry, everybody in the immediate vicinity would know. When he felt like fighting, usually Yuki would be the first to know by a loud declaration of how Kyo was going to mop the floor with his face. _Women are such difficult creatures,_ he concluded with a sigh.

Kagura sat stiffly in the silence, wondering where their easy-going companionship had gone. Weren't they just laughing and talking a moment ago? Staring out the tinted windows, she was startled when she realized they were there. Jumping out of the car hurriedly, she murmured, "Well...thanks for the date."

Kyo stared at her. "Yeah. I had a...nice time."

Lifting her head up, she smiled softly and so un-Kagura like he blinked a few times. "Me too!"

As she was turning to leave, Kyo muttered profanities under his breath and climbed out of the taxi. "Wait!"

Surprised, she turned around, staring blankly at him. Shuffling his feet awkwardly, Kyo blurted out, "Are you mad at me?"

Smiling brightly, she said, "Now why would I be mad at my dar--you?"

Nodding a bit, he turned around and reached into the loitering taxi.

"Here." Even with her arms full of stuffed animals, Kagura managed to catch the pink blob that he threw to her. On closer inspection, she realized it was the squishy pig he had won. Gasping, she squeezed it tightly to prevent her tears from falling. "Thank you."

"Hmm." With that, Kyo crawled back into the taxi, leaving behind a silently crying Kagura. The taxi driver threw an anxious glance at the girl crying on the side of the street, then stared at Kyo. Snorting impatiently, he snapped, "Just drive."

As the car rumbled away from the side of the curb, Kagura realized she had--once again--forgotten to pay.

* * *

"Yuki-chan!" Emi exclaimed. "Er? I mean, Yuki-kun."

There was an awkward silence for a while, then they blurted out "I'm sorry" simultaneously. Pausing for a moment, they started to laugh.

"I'm sorry that I lied to you, Emi-san. I should have told you I wasn't a girl in the first place."

Ceasing her giggles, Emi shook her head violently, forgetting that Yuki couldn? t see her action. "No! I'm sorry. I shouldn't have freaked out so much. Besides, if you told me, I would have probably run away screaming bloody murder."

Yuki didn't really understand the foreign expression, but he presumed she forgave him. "Thank you. I'm glad we're still friends. We are, right?"

Nodding eagerly once again, Emi exclaimed, "Of course! Great friends! But still..." Here she heaved a great sigh.

"What?" Yuki's worried tone floated through the receiver, making her chuckle some more.

"Oh nothing...but you're too pretty to be a guy! Now, if you were a girl..."

"Emi-san!"

"Kidding, kidding!" she reassured her irritated friend. "I'm really happy with it, either way. See you on Monday, okay?"

"Mm. Of course."

Beaming brightly, Emi bade him good night, hung up the phone, and in her joyful bliss, tripped over her own feet, and landed flat on her face.

"EMI!"

"Ow? don't worry Mom, I'm all right!"

_I think._

**Epilogue**

"Yuuuuki-kun!" Emi screamed, launching herself at her first friend. Carefully sidestepping her, Yuki stared at the prone figure lying in the grass.

"Emi-san?"

Bouncing up, she replied cheerfully, "I'm all right! But I shall make an oath right here, right now!"

"And what would that be?" asked Haru, sitting on the ground and looking at the suddenly solemn girl. They had become quite good friends now, but whether Haru liked her or her ridiculous antics, it was hard to say.

"That one day, I, Emi Matsushita, shall hug a Sohma!"

"Keep dreaming, girl," snapped Kyo. _Sometimes her weirdness freaks me out,_ thought the boy who was cursed by the cat spirit of the Jyuunishi.

Yuki just smiled lightly while making a mental note to himself never to leave Momiji alone with her.

"Ooh! To-ru! Look!" shouted the rabbit, bouncing around excitedly. "There's an ice cream truck! Can we get one?"

Tohru slowly stood up, brushing the stray strands of grass from her school skirt. "Of course, Momiji-kun! Does anyone else want one?" The rest of the gang refused, and watched as the two of them skipped over and place their order. When they returned, Momiji was happily licking on a strawberry cone while Tohru smiled, content with the world.

Kyo growled, "Brat. Don't make Tohru pay for you."

Grinning widely, Momiji said, "Actually, you're paying for me!"

"What? You little--! Did you steal my wallet?" Kyo frantically patted his pockets, relieved when he felt the familiar lump of leather.

"No, silly! I won!" cheered the rabbit, holding up a wad of yen. "Ayame and Shigure set up a betting pool on who would last the longest! Kyo won by two hours."

Yuki and Kyo stared, uncomprehending. "You mean, this was just a game to them?!"

"Yup." Everyone turned to Haru, who advised Yuki to "run, because a few people who lost some money are looking for you."

Veins popping, Yuki and Kyo growled simultaneously, "I am going to kill them."

"Err...about that." They glared at Haru, but blanched when he whipped out pictures. "You can? t. They have blackmail material."

Snatching the photos from the ox, Emi squealed, "Look! It? s Yuki-chan and me! And this one's Kyo-san with a pretty girl!"

Nodding, Haru montoned, "100 yen for a photo, or buy the entire set for a special set price. There's the Yuki set or the Kyo set, your choice. Ayame-san and Shigure-sensei are taking orders now."

"WHAT?!" While Emi was looking for her wallet, Kyo grabbed a photo and burst into hysterical laughter. "T-the damn rat's tripping over his high heels!" he choked out. Frowning, Yuki picked up the other photo and started chuckling.

"Kyo, looks like you had a good time with Kagura."

"WHAT?" Snatching the photo of the two of them at the beach, he growled and ripped it to shreds.

"Kyo, that's not nice. You owe me 100 yen," reprimanded Haru.

After saying a string of totally inappropriate words, the cat jumped up and screamed, "You damn snake, perverted dog, I'M GONNA GET YOU!"

Laughing, Emi picked up her school bag and exclaimed, "Let's go! I wanna order some pictures too!"

Sweatdropping, the rest of the gang sighed.

_Emi...just don't._

* * *

**_A/N: Yay! This is the first multi-chapter fic I finished! :D _**

**_I want to thank all of my reviews for reading and reviewing this fic! My goodness, when this was first written, it was my most popular one. This has been a great roller-coaster of revising, rewritting, writer's block, late updates, and inspiration. Thanks to the power of a billion to my readers who were patient enough to wait. I hoped that my writing style has improved over the course of these 8 chapters. _**

**_If you liked Dares, try reading To Cast A Curse, okay? Also, to all Ouran High School Host Club lovers!! I am writing a crossover fic between OHSHC and Furuba. Check it out! It's called Operation Host! and it's my best fic so far, with 100 reviews! _**

**_Please drop a review on the way out! _**

**_It's been real. :)_**

**_ja ne!_**

**_mimi-chan  
xxfirebubblesxx_**


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